Draw the Spaces Around a Subject

Try drawing the area around an object before drawing its details. A gap between a mug and a box has a shape of its own, just as the mug does. Looking at that gap can reveal where an object is wider, narrower or closer to its neighbor than you first thought.

The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum's positive-and-negative-space activity distinguishes the subject from its surroundings and invites a drawing of the surrounding space. The exercise below uses an ordinary arrangement and two studies to compare what you notice.

Set up a view you can keep

Gather paper, a pencil and two or three stable objects with clear edges. A plain mug beside a small box works well: the handle, the gap between the objects and the surrounding tabletop offer different spaces to observe. Avoid an arrangement so crowded that every opening becomes a tiny sliver.

Place the objects on a stable surface and choose one seated viewpoint. Draw two similar rectangles on your paper. These are the boundaries of the two studies. Keep your position and the objects unchanged while working. The still-life planning guide can help if you first need to arrange the objects.

Make a subject study and a space study

1. Sketch the subjects first. In the first rectangle, draw the mug and box as simple shapes. Leave out decoration, words and shading. This records your starting impression.
2. Name three spaces. Look at the actual arrangement. You might choose the opening inside the handle, the gap between mug and box, and the region above both objects.
3. Begin with a space. In the second rectangle, draw the boundary of the largest selected space. Notice where it reaches the rectangle's edge and where it turns around an object.
4. Add the other spaces. Follow their edges without filling in the objects' interior features. Lightly shade the spaces if that makes the distinction easier to see.
5. Compare the results. Look for one specific difference, such as a narrower handle opening or a gap that slopes instead of running straight up.

Do not move an object to make it agree with the drawing. If the view changes accidentally, reset it or start a clearly labeled new study. You are comparing observations, not trying to make the second sheet prove that the first was wrong.

Check the gaps, not the decoration

Choose one gap and compare its height with its width. Check whether it opens into a larger background area or closes completely. Then look at the points where its boundary changes direction. These checks give you something concrete to adjust without adding more detail.

• Can you recognize the objects even though their interiors remain blank?
• Do the spaces meet the frame in the places you observed?
• Which gap changed most between the two studies?
• What would you look at first if you repeated the exercise?

For example, your first sketch may give the mug a large handle because that is how you remember mugs. Drawing the opening might show a much narrower shape from this viewpoint. Note “handle opening narrower from this seat” rather than judging the whole drawing.

Use the observation in a painting plan

On a pre-outlined canvas, the surrounding regions already have boundaries. Notice which gaps help separate the subject from nearby shapes before choosing colors. The subject-and-background color guide handles that next decision; this exercise is about the shapes of the spaces themselves.

You can stop with the paper studies. Drawing practice is optional, and preparing your own outline is not a requirement for a custom canvas request. Choose another question from the painting practice guide when you are ready.